Managing complex situations or projects within companies repeatedly raises questions and presents challenges for executives. In our dynamic knowledge base, we compile these for you and present them in Q&As as well as in downloadable documents.
Take advantage of this resource 24/7, and don’t hesitate to ask us your specific questions through our various channels or by using this form. We’re happy to include topics of interest to all organizational consultants or organizational developers in our knowledge base in anonymized form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Organizational Development
Organizational development is the systematic improvement of an organization’s ability to perform, adapt, and evolve. It looks at the organization as a complete social system rather than focusing on an isolated process or department.
Typical areas include strategy implementation, organizational structures, decision-making, leadership, collaboration, culture, capabilities, processes, and ways of working. The goal is to create an organization in which people can make effective decisions, work across boundaries, and translate strategic priorities into sustainable performance.
Organizational development focuses on improving how an organization operates and evolves over time. Change management focuses on helping people understand, adopt, and sustain a specific change.
The two disciplines therefore complement each other. Organizational development helps determine what should change in structures, roles, leadership, or collaboration. Change management creates the conditions for the people affected to make that future organization work in practice.
A new strategy is not always the answer. The existing strategy may be sound while the organization lacks the structures, decision rights, capabilities, leadership routines, or cooperation needed to implement it.
Warning signs include recurring execution problems, slow decisions, overloaded leaders, conflicting priorities, duplicated work, unclear accountability, and persistent friction between functions. In such situations, leaders should first examine whether the organization’s operating system still supports its strategic objectives.
Culture becomes manageable when broad aspirations are translated into observable behavior. Instead of merely promoting values such as collaboration, accountability, or customer focus, leaders should define what those values mean for decisions, meetings, escalation, information sharing, performance management, and leadership behavior.
Structures and systems must support the same expectations. Employees will not believe in greater empowerment if decisions remain centralized, or in collaboration if individual targets reward local optimization. Culture changes through repeated behavior and organizational consequences – not through slogans alone.
According to various studies, 70 to 85 per cent of all changes have failed for decades. Some common causes for change failure and transformation failure include:
- inadequate support and training for employees.
- poor planning and execution
- lack of focusing on social and emotional aspects
- inadequate communication and engagement
- fear of change as well as reactance and resistance to change
- lack of clear objectives and benefits,
Leadership and Governance
A new strategy is not always the answer. The existing strategy may be sound while the organization lacks the structures, decision rights, capabilities, leadership routines, or cooperation needed to implement it.
Warning signs include recurring execution problems, slow decisions, overloaded leaders, conflicting priorities, duplicated work, unclear accountability, and persistent friction between functions. In such situations, leaders should first examine whether the organization’s operating system still supports its strategic objectives.
Middle managers translate enterprise-level decisions into consequences for teams and daily work. They explain what the change means locally, provide feedback to the project team, identify resistance, coach employees, and reinforce new expectations.
They are also affected by the change themselves. Organizations should therefore involve and prepare them before expecting them to lead others. Toolkits and presentation slides are not enough; managers need context, decision clarity, opportunities to raise concerns, and practical support for difficult conversations.
Organizational governance is the system through which an organization directs, controls, and oversees its activities. It defines who has the authority to make decisions, who is accountable for outcomes, how decisions are escalated, and how performance and risks are monitored.
Governance includes structures such as boards, steering committees, decision forums, reporting lines, policies, decision rights, and approval processes. Effective governance provides clarity without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. It enables leaders to make timely decisions while ensuring that responsibilities, risks, and strategic priorities remain transparent.
Organizational change creates new decisions, dependencies, risks, and conflicts of interest. Without clear governance, decisions may be delayed, responsibilities may overlap, and different parts of the organization may pursue conflicting priorities.
Effective change governance establishes who sponsors the initiative, who owns the business outcomes, which decisions can be made by the project team, and which issues require executive involvement. It also creates a structured process for managing risks, resolving conflicts, allocating resources, and monitoring progress.
Governance therefore provides the authority and discipline needed to turn a change initiative into coordinated organizational action.
A model is a conceptual framework like Kotter’s 8 Steps Model, the ADKAR Model or Bridges’ Transition Model. It is used for planning and structuring change by describing what happens during a change process, identifying phases, components, or factors necessary for successful transformation.
A method is a practical approach or tool to execute interventions and support. It describes how to implement change with specific actions, techniques, or processes applied during specific phases of a change process.
The 5W1H questions (What, Why, When, Who, Where, and How) can be a powerful tool for project management. Here’s how they can be used:
HOW will the project be implemented, communication and engagement be managed, risks and challenges be addressed?
WHAT are the goals, objectives, risks of initiative? And what is in form me (WIIFM)?
WHY is the project necessary and why now?
WHEN will changes occur, key milestones be achieved, communication and engagement activities take place?
WHO will be affected by and involved in the project and who will lead a PMO or CMO?
WHERE will training, support, and other related activities be provided?
Downloads
viadoo Change Canvas (GE)
We typically use our viadoo Change Management Canvas as a visual aid for project preparation. We also use it to analyze ongoing change processes for which clients have brought us in. In all cases, the viadoo Change Canvas serves as a tool for group discussions about why we’re doing something, what has happened so far, and what we should do next.
Now you, too, can benefit from this! Simply download our Change Canvas and print it in large format (or project it onto a wall).
viadoo Emotions Prediction Canvas (GE)
Social and emotional aspects are often crucial to the success of projects. That’s why, even in the planning phase, we consider what emotions and reactions a project will trigger. To this end, we’ve mapped out various levels of fear as well as different manifestations of anger and resistance on the viadoo Emotion Forecast Canvas.
Now you, too, can categorize your projects (often several at once) accordingly on the canvas. In the end, you’ll recognize which emotions and reactions to expect and how to handle them.
viadoo Stakeholder Analysis Canvas (GE)
For a project to succeed, it’s important to know what impact it will have on internal and external stakeholders and how they might influence its course. To do this, we first identify these stakeholders (on Post-its). We then categorize them in our viadoo Stakeholder Analysis Canvas according to their level of power and influence, as well as the nature of their own interests. Once all the Post-its are in place, managers can also see how best to address each individual stakeholder within the project.
You can use this canvas, too!
Navigating the Future of Change Management (EN)
Emerging developments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), data-driven decision-making, leadership coaching, sponsorship, and organizational resilience are redefining the landscape of change management. This ACMP white paper serves as a strategic guide for change management professionals, combining insights from expert roundtable discussions with proven best practices and actionable recommendations for navigating what lies ahead.
Among the contributors: Dr. Dominik Faust, CEO of viadoo and member of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP). This publication distills the key insights from the ACMP® Change Makers Unplugged Thought Leaders Roundtable, held in February 2025. It aligns those findings with the ACMP Standard for Change Management© and includes a professional development checklist tailored for practitioners looking to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving field.
How to Ensure a Successful Digital Transformation (GE)
Digital transformations should not be managed using traditional project management tools, but rather with the expanded toolkit of change management. This toolkit includes additional methods for taking the human factor into account from the very beginning. After all, digitalization also triggers emotions:
Some mourn the loss of familiar processes and team dynamics. Others fear that they will be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) or that their existing knowledge will no longer meet the new requirements. Still others resist the planned changes, either openly or covertly. Old and new conflicts erupt. Performance declines, and in more than two-thirds of cases, the digital transformation fails.
Improving Mental Health in Projects (GE)
Creating a psychologically safe atmosphere for employees is a key responsibility of leaders. Only in such an environment can constructive friction between team members arise, and can innovation and high-performing, collaborative teams thrive. These are precisely what’s needed when change is on the horizon.
In this white paper, we show how leaders can create an anxiety-free organization in four steps. We also include a link to the corresponding episode of our ChangeCAST.
Effectively Leading Hybrid Teams (GE)
With these three principles, leaders can effectively guide hybrid teams through projects:
- Communicating – We explain why facial expressions and body language are so important for remote teams, and why leaders should be good storytellers—but not like Münchhausen.
- Empathy – In this white paper, we provide tips on how leaders can enhance their empathy, among other things.
- Motivating – We show how to successfully navigate the fine line between support and micromanagement (including an “Employee Relationship Management System”).
Sustainability in the Insurance Industry (GE)
European regulations promoting greater sustainability pose several challenges for the insurance and asset management sectors. Nevertheless, only slightly more than half of all companies are currently steering this transformation in a targeted manner. This is shown by a study on sustainable insurance conducted by Rhein Main University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with viadoo GmbH.
This article by viadoo founder Dr. Dominik Faust was published in the journal Versicherungsmagazin by Springer Fachmedien / Springer Nature.
Operating During Change Like a Media Company (GE)
Does learning from the media mean learning how to succeed? In any case, a corporate newsroom can help break down silos and optimally coordinate dialogue in change initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, it has lost a key feature. Perhaps the virtual change newsroom is the better alternative anyway.
This white paper is based on an article by viadoo founder Dr. Dominik Faust, which was published in the magazine changement! by the Handelsblatt Media Group.